ALBANY – When William Chunn saw that Apalachee High School students and teachers were resuming classes after a school shooting that took four lives, he said he knew he wanted his school to show support.
“A school shooting at any school affects every school,” Chunn said. “So we wanted to show support for the school and those students and let them know they’re not alone.”
The Westover Comprehensive High School principal organized a fundraiser during which students, staff and teachers raised $2,180 across two days for victims’ families. An Apalachee High School student shot and killed two of his fellow students and two teachers on Sept. 4 at the high school in Winder. Mason Schermerhorn, 14; Christian Angulo, 14; Richard Aspinwall, 39 and Cristina Irimie, 53, were their names. Nine other people were injured.
The investigation is still active. The shooter was booked into Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, and his father has been charged in connection with the crime, according to the GBI. This is the first time in state history and second in the nation that a parent of a school shooting suspect has been charged in connection with the crime.
Apalachee students and teachers returned to school, during the week of Sept. 23.
“Last week, Apalachee students reclaimed their school and started healing together,” a school Facebook post from Monday read.
Chunn called the incident heart-breaking.
“You can imagine what they’ve been through, the devastation that they had to endure and then to have to go back inside that building,” he said. “We just wanted to offer some support to them.”
A blue banner that reads “Westover supports Apalachee High” is hanging in one of the school’s main hallways. It’s covered with the signatures of those who donated to the fundraiser.
Chunn said his original goal was to raise $500. However, over the course of two school days, teachers, staff and students poured money into the donation box.
“They came, and they kept coming and coming — some two times, three times,” the principal said. “Everybody just came together for the good. I’m extremely proud.”
Chunn said after the shooting at Apalachee High School, school leaders spoke to students to let them know their safety was the No. 1 priority.
“And the students need to let us know if they see something,” he said. “If something’s going to happen at our school, the students are going to know about it first.”
Chunn said saying something allows the school to be proactive in stopping incidents.
School districts across the state saw fake “copycat” threats from students online. Twelve Dougherty County School System students were arrested in the week of Sept. 9 in connection to multiple gun violence threats made against DCSS schools.
Chunn said those students had to go in front of the school district’s disciplinary tribunal.
“We have to take that seriously,” he said.
Chunn said Westover has tightened school security, going through code red lockdown and safety protocols as well as doing a better job of screening students and visitors to the school. The principal said everyone comes in one entrance and is scanned by a metal detector.
All faculty and staff carry a Centegix card, which is a small white card with a button for them to press to trigger a school lockdown. Chunn said they’ve used the cards for about two years. Before Centegix, they relied on an intercom announcement system.
“What happened at Apalachee, it can happen anywhere,” Chunn said. “The only thing you can do is try to be proactive, put safety measures in place, try to talk to the students, let the students know that you’re there for them and ask the students to help you.”
The principal mailed the check and a letter to Apalachee High School’s principal Wednesday.
“We’re all in this together,” Chunn said. “We’ve all got to work hard to do the best we can and support each other.”
He said he hopes Apalachee’s students and teachers know they’re not alone.
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